Earlier this week, Ubisoft upset someStar Wars Outlawsfans by requesting theydelete their save files due to a progress-blocking bug. The issues affected players who had purchased the more expensive edition of the game, allowing them to play it three days before it launched. Due to a game-breaking bug, Ubisoft pushed out an update and then asked players on PS5 to start on a new save file, causing some users to lose hours of progress.
A new email from Ubisoft was shared byBubbaJonesTheThirdon Reddit (viaIGN), which tries to placate affected players. In the email, Ubisoft offers an apology:“We fully acknowledge that asking you to start a new game is not the best experience, especially during the Early Access period, and for that we apologize.” However,theStar Wars Outlawspublisher’s consolation gift leaves many fans feeling slighted.
To apologize for lost progress,Ubisoft is gifting all affected players a Trailblazer trinket in the game and 100 Ubisoft Connect Units.These points can be used to buy in-game items on the Ubisoft Store, or redeemed for a 20% off discount on a future Ubisoft Store purchase.
Star Wars Outlaws Players Calling Ubisoft’s Response “Laughable”
Backlash Extends To Other Ubisoft Titles
Despite Ubisoft’s best attempts at an apology, fans are still annoyed at the lackluster response. Many early access players lost dozens hours of progress in an experience that they had paid extra for. Many view a store discount and a trinket as poor compensation for the players' trouble. A followup comment bySevansupon Reddit points to other Ubisoft games that suffered similar issues. When the otherwiserivetingPrince of Persia: The Lost Crownwas released on Steam, an issue with Ubisoft Connect destroyed hours of progress for many early buyers of the game.
In response, Ubisoft addressed the issue by simply disabling cloud autosaves. In an update on the game’sSteampage, the company thanks players for reporting the issue, and makes no attempts to compensate customers for lost progress. Manual cloud save is still available but many players are forgetting to do so manually, since it’s an automatic feature of most other games now, leading to even more loss of progress. A similar issue happened withAssassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag,with the same solution.
The community is unhappy with how Ubisoft is handling early-game progress loss inStar Wars Outlawsand its other titles. Post-release issues like these are becoming more and more common, causing many to wait for new games to iron out their issues before buying. However, fans who paid to experience Ubisoft games on and pre-release are rightfully angry at the company’s disregard for its most loyal paying fans. Ubisoft is currently entangled in anothercontroversy surroundingAssassin’s Creed Shadows, which some are trying to stop with a petition.
Sources:BubbaJonesTheThird/Reddit(viaIGN),Sevansup/Reddit,Steam
Star Wars Outlaws
Set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Outlaws is an open-world action-adventure game where players hop into the scoundrel boots of Kay Vess, a woman who travels the galaxy Looking for a better life. Together with her furry partner Nix and new allies she meets along the way, Kay will navigate the various landscapes, towns, and planets across the galaxy while outsmarting both Crime Syndicates and the Empire.
